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Showing posts with the label Missionary

St. Peter Claver, Jesuit Priest and Missionary

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Memorial - September 9th There are not many who would willingly make themselves slaves, but Saint Peter Claver, the 17th century Jesuit priest and missionary did. What is particularly noteworthy about this young Spaniard’s servitude in the New World is that he took it upon himself willingly, declaring himself , "the slave of the slave." Popular piety holds, in addition to his prodigious efforts, he worked tremendous miracles like raising people from the dead and prophesying the future deaths of others. Peter Claver was born in Verdu, Spain, in 1581. Although the family line was one of the oldest and most distinguished in that country, by the time Claver was born, his own family consisted of impoverished farmers. Nevertheless, he entered the Jesuit college of Barcelona and soon entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1602. It was while studying philosophy that he was inspired by the college’s doorkeeper, the future saint Alphonsus Rodriguez to become a missionary in the New W

St. James the Greater, Apostle, "Son of Thunder"

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July 25th, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Saint James the Greater, the Apostle and martyr. Both his parents, Zebedee and Salome were people of affluence and well-respected. His father was a fisherman of the Lake of Galilee, who lived in or near Bethsaida, perhaps in Capharnaum who had several hired men in his employ. His mother was one of the pious women referenced by Scripture who followed Christ and “ministered unto Him of their substance.” James is called “the Greater” to distinguish him from the Apostle James “the Less,” who was probably shorter of stature. We know little of St. James’s early life. He was the eldest brother of John, the beloved disciple. According to the social rank of their parents, they were certainly men of ordinary education, in the common walks of Jewish life. They had opportunity of coming in contact with Greek culture and language which flourished on the shores of the Galilean Sea. The Galilean origin of St. James in part explains the ene

Thomas Assures Us of Christ’s Resurrection Beyond Doubt

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(This Sunday's Gospel, for the second Sunday of Easter, is the story of Thomas' profession of faith upon encountering the risen Lord in the Upper Room.)  Saint Thomas, the Apostle who at first did not believe, has become for the Church one of the first and most compelling witnesses to the Resurrection of Christ. His initial skepticism mirrors that of many. May his profession of faith upon touching Our Savior's wounds, "My Lord and my God!", redound through the ages to convince and confirm others that Christ's Incarnation, ministry, and victory over sin and death are empirically and existentially real. Jesus' reply to Thomas, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?" Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed," is less a condemnation of Thomas and more a confirmation of the demands of faith. Among the Apostles, Thomas does not stand out. His knowledge of Jewish scripture and well-formed conscience enabled him to r

Saint David of Wales, Bishop and Founder

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The Church in Wales and England celebrates the feast of St. David, bishop and patron of Wales on March 1st.. Very little is known about the life of St. David ( Dewi Sant ). He belonged to that great monastic movement which became influential in Wales in the sixth century and which had links with monasticism in Gaul and in Ireland. The earliest references to David are in the Irish Annals. Many churches across South Wales claim David as their founder. His chief foundation was at Mynyw near Dyfed. He was canonized by Pope Callistus II in 1123. Although he was once among the best-known saints of early English Christianity, the factual information which has come down to us concerning St. David of Wales is largely a product of popular piety. Legend has it that he was descended from royalty and was the uncle of King Arthur. Such accounts are nearly impossible to substantiate. What is known is that he was instramental in helping to spread the Christian faith by virtue of his tireless miss

Sts. Timothy and Titus, the Spiritual Sons of St. Paul

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The Church celebrates the memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus both 1st century bishops and missionary companions to their mentor Saint Paul, on January 26th. Pope Benedict XVI observed, "The sources concerning Timothy and Titus highlight their readiness to take on various offices that also often consisted in representing Paul in circumstances far from easy. In a word, they teach us to serve the Gospel with generosity, realizing that this also entails a service to the Church herself." Timothy and Titus remind us that no grace is given solely for our benefit. Grace is to be shared so the Church may be built up in love. Reading Paul's two letters to Timothy and his letter to Titus show that the early Church was at times deeply divided. St. Paul's first letter to Timothy 3:15 clearly states where we are to find the truth. Paul refers to the Church as the pillar and foundation of the truth. We do not consult Scripture alone to find the truth because different people

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

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Feast Day - January 25th  St. Paul, named Saul at his circumcision, was born in Tarsus the capitol of Cilicia, of Jewish parents descended from the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Roman citizen from birth and a devout Jew trained in the Law. As he was "a young man" at the stoning of Stephen and "an old man" when writing to Philemon, about the year 63 AD, St. Paul was most likely born around the beginning of the Christian era. To complete his schooling, St. Paul was sent to Jerusalem, where he sat at the feet of the learned Gamaliel and was educated in the strict observance of the ancestral Law. Here he also acquired a good knowledge of exegesis and was taught in the practice of disputation. As a convinced and zealous Pharisee, he returned to Tarsus before the public ministry of Christ commenced in Palestine. Some time after the Resurrection of Our Lord, St. Paul returned to Palestine. His profound conviction made his zeal develop into a religious fanaticism a

St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, Canada’s First Female Saint

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On January 12th the Catholic Church in Canada celebrates the memorial of Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, a 17th century French missionary who came to the New World in order to serve the poor. She founded the Congregation of Notre-Dame in Montreal dedicated to teaching, evangelization and works of charity, a hospital and schools. Beloved by Quebecois, she was called "the Mother of the Colony". She was born on Good Friday 1620, in Troyes, France, the sixth of twelve children to Abraham Bourgeoys and Guillemette Gamier, and baptized the same day. Her middle-class family was deeply religious. Her father died when she was young. At 19, Marguerite’s mother died. The following year, on October 7, 1640, during a procession in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, while looking at a statue of Mary, Marguerite had a divine vision that would change her life. She later recounted: "We passed again in front of the portal of Notre-Dame, where there was a stone image [of our Lady] above t

Saint John Neumann, Redemptorist Bishop

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January 5th the Church observes the memorial of the 19th century Redemptorist Bishop John Neumann, the fourth bishop of Philadelphia. His life was marked by incessant travel, service and compassion. John Nepomucene Neumann was born on March 28, 1811, in Bohemia [now the Czech Republic] to a poor but religious family. As a young seminarian, he longed to be a missionary priest in America. Traveling to the United States, Neumann looked for a bishop to ordain him. He mastered Italian, Spanish, English, French and Gaelic besides speaking his native German and Bohemian. Neumann's early priesthood was difficult and lonely, working with poor farming immigrants near Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York. Eventually, he found companionship among the Redemptorists, a religious order that ministered to the German-American population. Neumann professed his priestly vows and five years later, owing to his remarkable leadership abilities and vast pastoral skills, became the Redemptorist Order’

Prayer of Saint Francis Xavier

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Saint Francis Xavier, a 16th century Jesuit, tirelessly evangelized the Far East. He converted more people during his lifetime than anyone since the Apostle to the Gentiles Paul, personally baptizing some 50,000 Catholics in ten years He spread the faith to India, China, Japan and the Philippines. St. Francis was instrumental in co-founding the Jesuit Order as a close confidant of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Prayer of St. Francis Xavier My God, I love thee; not because I hope for heaven thereby, nor yet because who love thee not are lost eternally. Thou, O my Jesus, thou didst me upon the cross embrace; for me didst bear the nails and spear, and manifold disgrace. And griefs and torments numberless and sweat of agony; even death itself, and all for one Who was thine enemy. Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ should I not love thee well? not for the hope of winning heaven, or of escaping hell. not with the hope of gaining aught, nor seeking a reward,

St. Francis Xavier, Patron of Catholic Missions

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Memorial - December 3rd (In 2017, this feast is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.) Saint Francis Xavier is one of the great saints who emerged during the Counter-Reformation of the Catholic Church in the mid-16th and early 17th centuries. As a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the zeal with which he undertook his missionary work was so astonishing that both contemporaries and historians alike have compared him to none other than St. Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles. He was born in Spanish Navarre on April 7, 1506. At the age of 19, he traveled to France to study at the University of Paris. There, he met and became friends with another Spaniard named Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius, who had experienced a profound spiritual conversion years before, tried to convince Francis that his life might best be spent, not in academics, but as a missionary in service to Christ. At first, Francis was not convinced of this, but Ignatius persisted and finally won him over. T

Blessed Charles de Foucauld, Missionary and Priest

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December 1st is the feast of Blessed Charles Eugène de Foucauld, also known as Fr. Charles de Jésus, a French Catholic religious and priest who lived among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. Fr. Foucauld was martyred in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for the protection of the indigenous Tuareg villagers. His witness and writings led to the founding of the Little Brothers of Jesus Order. ________________________________________ Blessed Charles de Foucauld was born in Strasbourg, France on September 15, 1858. Orphaned at the age of six, he and his sister Marie were raised by their grandfather in whose footsteps he followed by pursuing a military career. The recipient of a large inheritance, Charles lived a worldly life. His taste for the things of this world was well known and would result in the loss of his faith. While serving in the French Army he was stationed for a time in Algeria. This was the beginning of his fascination with North Africa. Subsequent to

Saint Saturninus, Apostle to the Gauls

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According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, November 28th is the feast day of Saint Saturninus, the early 3rd century bishop. missionary and martyr. Saturninus lived heroic virtue in imitation of Christ. The first named prelate in Gaul, he is called the Apostle to the Gauls. ________________________________________ The Life and Holy Martyrdom of St. Saturninus  Saturninus went from Rome, by direction of Pope Fabian, about the year 245, to preach the faith in Gaul. He fixed his episcopal see at Toulouse, and thus became the first Christian bishop of that city. There were but few Christians in the place. However, their number grew fast after the coming of the Saint; and his power was felt by the spirits of evil, who received the worship of the heathen. His power was felt the more because he had to pass daily through the capitol, the high place of the heathen worship, on the way to his own church. One day a great multitude was ga

Saint Columban, Abbot and Missionary

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Optional Memorial - November 23rd   Though he died nearly fourteen-hundred years ago, Saint Columban is a saint for our time, which bears an uncanny resemblance to his own. In the midst of great social and spiritual upheaval, he stands as an example of someone not afraid to be outspoken in the face of moral corruption and depravity—even when that involved bishops and kings. Many miracles were credited to him during his life. St. Columban was one of the great Irish missionaries who made his way to the continent of Europe near the close of the 6th century. He traveled there after spending some 30 years in a monastery in northern Ireland, where he had fled to overcome severe temptations of the flesh. Once in Gaul, he became known for his moral discipline, homilies, and deep commitment to charity and religious life. Countless souls went to hear him preach and to pray in the monasteries there. The devastation of the barbarian invasions had completely disrupted Gaul’s civil and re

Optional Memorial of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

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Feast Day - November 18th  St. Rose Philippine Duchesne was born August 29, 1769, in Grenoble, France. She was the daughter of Pierre Francois Duchesne, a successful lawyer and a leader of the French Revolution and Rose Perier, an intelligent, practical, Christian woman. When Rose was twelve, she was sent to boarding school at Ste. Marie d’en Haut. Here she was educated by the Visitation nuns and drawn to their life of contemplation. She entered their congregation at the age of eighteen, but shortly thereafter, the Revolution in France forced the Nuns to disperse. Rose nursed prisoners, found shelter for orphans, and helped give food to the poor. In December 1804, she joined the Society of the Sacred Heart upon meeting Madeline Sophie Barat, the foundress of this Society. Often, during the next eleven years, Rose discussed with Mother Barat her long held dream of becoming a missionary to the American Indians in the New World. The Dream was ignited when Bishop Du Bourg visited t

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Missionary and Foundress

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Memorial - November 13th  Sometimes the things we believe we are supposed to do in life are merely a variation on what God actually has in mind for us. Such was the case with a young Italian girl named Frances Xavier Cabrini. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a missionary in China. But Pope Leo XIII would one day suggest that her missionary efforts were destined to be carried out in a very different part of the world; it wasn’t China, but it was precisely where God desired her to be. Frances Xavier Cabrini was born on a farm in Lombardi, Italy in 1850, one of 13 children.  She was trained as a teacher in a nearby convent school and, when she reached the age of 18, she sought to join the Order that had educated her. Her health, however, was so frail that they denied her request and Frances instead returned to the family farm, where she cared for her parents until their death. Shortly afterward, at the request of a priest, Frances began working at the House of Providence Orph

Saint Willibrord, Apostle to the Frisians

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Historically November 7th is the feast of Saint Willibrord, the 8th century bishop of Utrecht in the Netherlands and Archbishop of Cologne, Germany. He is credited for bringing the Good News of Christ to the pagan Frisians (Germanic peoples living in the Netherlands). As a missionary, confessor and gifted catechist, he spread Christianity throughout the British Isles, Germany and the Netherlands. Willibrord was born in Northumberland, (the northernmost county in England) the son of a godly Englishman named Wilgis, who became a monk, and was a most holy saint. When Willibrord was just twenty, he was already wearing the religious habit. Being accustomed to bearing the yoke of the Lord, he went to Ireland to seek greater perfection in the Faith, studying sacred scripture under Saint Egbert. Somewhere around the age of thirty Willibrord was ordained a priest, and was then sent by St. Egbert to convert the pagans of Friesland, together with eleven companions, men eminent for learning

Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles

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Feast Day - October 28th  However meagre in details is the history of these glorious apostles, we learn from their brief legend how amply they contributed to this great work of generating sons of God. Without any repose, and even to the shedding of their blood, they "edified the body of Christ"; and the grateful Church prays to our Lord today: "O God, through the work of the apostles you have spoken your Word of love, your Son, into our world's deafness. Open our ears to hear; open our hearts to heed; open our will to obey, that we may proclaim the good news with our lives." St. Simon is represented in art with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. St. Jude's square points him out as an architect of the house of God. St. Paul called himself by this name; and St. Jude, by his Catholic Epistle, has also a special right to be reckoned among our Lord's principal workmen. But our apostle had another nobility, far surpassing all earthly titles: bein

St. Frumentius, Bishop, Apostle to Ethiopia

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Feast Day - October 27th Born in Tyre, Lebanon, Frumentius and his brother Aedesius were taken on a voyage to Ethiopia while young by their uncle, Meropius, a Christian. During the journey, the ship was attacked by barbarian pirates while harbored in a city on the Red Sea. The entire crew, with the exception of the two children, were slain, and the ship destroyed. Frumentius and Aedesius were captured as slaves. The two youth were unlike the people of the region in appearance, and as such were given to the king of Axum as a curiosity. He was immediately taken with their youth, beauty, and wit, and installed them as members of his court, seeing to their education, and providing them protection and care. Aedesius would in time become the king’s cup-bearer, and Frumentius his trusted secretary. The brothers grew in faith, serving their king well. On his deathbed, grateful for their service, the king granted the twins their freedom. When the king died, the brothers stayed on as

Saint Luke, Missionary and Evangelist

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Saint Luke came from Antioch, was a practicing physician and one of the initial converts to Christianity. He accompanied Saint Paul, who converted him, on his missionary journeys and was still with him in Rome when St. Paul was in prison awaiting death. We hear no more of him afterward and nothing is known of his final years. The Church venerates him as a Martyr. The Gospel he authored is principally concerned with salvation and mercy; in it are preserved some of our Lord's most moving parables, like those of the lost sheep and the prodigal son. Dante calls St. Luke the "historian of the meekness of Christ." It is also St. Luke who tells us the greater part of what we know about our Lord's childhood (as relayed by Our Lady). The Evangelist considered his Gospel and the Book of Acts to be one account in two parts. In Acts of the Apostles, we follow Luke's journey in Christian ministry. Much of Acts is written in the third person. However, occasionally, Luke c

Saint Wilfrid, Bishop and Missionary

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Optional Memorial - October 12th This 7th century English saint was influential at a time when Rome, seeking to unite all Christians under the see of Saint Peter, was undergoing conflict with the traditions of the so-called “Celtic” Church. A Northumbrian of noble birth, Saint Wilfrid was educated at Lindisfarne where he was instilled with a passion for both learning and the monastic life. He was known for his holiness and love of God. St. Wilfrid was born in the year 634 in the ancient region known as Northumbria, a medieval Anglian kingdom located in what is now northern England and south-east Scotland. A conflict with his stepmother resulted in his leaving home at the age of 14. He eventually became a monk at the Celtic monastery of Lindisfarne. While still a young man he traveled to Canterbury and then to Rome. On his return to England, he founded monasteries at Ripon and Stamford, and would soon became prominent as a successful defender of the Church's teachings. A